Page 82 of Renegade Kings

Before I could second guess myself any more than I already was, my lion took over, darting between the trees, and slipped through a hole in The Endless’ ranks. I heard the sound of paws pounding the ground behind me, and I knew the others had followed. Even Tank and his bear had joined our hunt.

The trees surrounding us moved, closing the path behind us so none could follow. The sound of wood hitting metal followed as Alyssa protected our route, giving us the chance we needed.

I hated that I’d left her. It was too much like abandonment, and I knew exactly what it felt like to be the one left behind.

“Mate will be fine,” the lion grumbled inside our head. “Mate is strong. She moves the ground and the trees that have slept here for centuries. These puny men are nothing to her.”

I hoped with everything I had that he was right, because there was no turning back now. The only thing we could do was finally achieve what had been our goal all along and retrieve the man whose absence felt like a constant hole in my chest.

It was time for Damon to come home. Whether he wanted to or not.

Chapter 30

Dean

This was madness. This was war on a level we’d never experienced before, and everything that was happening was completely outside of our control.

We were no use here. The little magic tricks we’d learned so far were nothing compared to what our mate could do.

As proud as I was of her right now, it was hard not to see the glaring deficiency I now felt inside. I had to get stronger, and I needed to do it now.

As I followed Maddox through the trees, I glimpsed a pocket of soldiers watching and waiting. It was impossible to miss the gleam of their golden armour or the eerie blue glow that shone out from the shadows of their helms.

At first, I’d thought Alyssa had done the impossible, that she’d cut through the forces coming towards us and we finally stood a chance. But now, with this mad dash through the trees, I could see the full extent of the forces we faced, and I was kicking myself for ever leaving her side.

The soldiers Alyssa had pulled up into the trees were nothing but a fraction of what we faced. A small group meant to test our ranks and identify our weaknesses. Fuck, we’d been trained the same way Damon had. We should have known this was what he’d do. It was what I’d fucking do, after all.

I hoped to god that Maddox knew what he was doing because getting back to Alyssa was going to be a whole hell of a lot harder than it had been to slip through the gap in the enemy’s ranks. Which led to a whole other question. Had we slipped through, or had we been lured away from our most important piece on the field, with the one thing we wanted the most?

There was no time to think. No time to even consider turning back. Because as soon as the thought touched my mind, they were on us. Three of The Endless emerged through the trees where I could have sworn there had been no one before and we were virtually surrounded.

Tank’s bear put on a burst of speed, striding past Maddox and smashing into the first soldier that tried to step into our path.

What had we done? Alyssa was back there alone, with none of her mates to protect her. What the fuck had we done?

The wolf was fully in agreement and we came to a sudden stop, our paws sliding through the soft forest floor as we skidded. Ryder and Maddox either had exactly the same thought or they were at least focused enough on all of us that they stopped, refusing to leave me behind.

And then I saw him.

Damon stepped through the trees directly in front of me. His gaze locked with mine as he smiled. He looked so much like the man I knew. So much so that I couldn’t possibly believe that he’d bring The Endless here to face us. The Damon I knew would have done anything to protect his brothers. He’d never stand by a man like Arik.

I wanted it to be him. I wanted to save him like he’d done for me all those years ago. Most days I could still smell the blood as it stuck to my skin, shining brightly in the morning sun. My hands had never felt clean since that day. The day Damon sat next to me on their doorstep and told me he’d fix it all. That I didn’t have to be alone anymore. The day he, Maddox, and Ryder became the only family I’d ever needed.

Until now.

And without a single doubt in my mind, I turned away. Leaving my brothers behind. Because all that mattered was her, and if Damon had lured us away from her, then we’d made the biggest mistake of our lives by letting it happen.

I made the impossible choice I never thought I’d ever be able to face.

It would always be her.

Chapter 31

Alyssa

My eyes surged open, and I gasped for breath, feeling like I’d been underwater even though I was still lying on the dry forest ground. Every cell in my body was filled with a power I couldn’t contain. It was wild, untamed and it revolted at my audacity of trying to bend it to my will.

My ears rang and my mind was hazy from the pain that still ran in waves through my body. I pushed as much of that foreign magic away as I could, but fragments of it clung to the power inside me. Twisting and warping, trying to invade where it didn’t belong. My muscles seized and I rapidly blinked my eyes as if it could save me from letting this magic pull me apart from the inside out. I couldn’t keep lying here. I had to rally no matter how much it felt like this would be the end for me, I had to push through for the others.